the self performed
without a second thought
kept dancing the way it was taught
laughing while distraught

conformed until it couldn’t
the self met confusion
while the world consumed it
until full dissolution
until all that remained was
annihilation

transformed under the pressure
the self grew stronger, clever
became the very thing
that controlled the laughing and dancing

it was all a confirmation
of a perfect orchestration
the self was always one with it
one in the orchestra pit.